Button-sewing machine.



A. F. FIFIELD & W. L. BARRON.

BUTTON SEWING MACHINE'. APPLICATION FILED SEPT). 19:5.

Patented Oct. 23, 1917.

TNESSES:

10 the following is a speci ALBERT F. FIFIELD, F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ANT) WILLIAM L. BARRON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW JERSEY.

BUTTON-SEWING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 191?.

Application filed September 24, 1915. Serial No. 52,839.

and WILLIAM L. BARRON, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at

Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, and New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Sewing Machines, of which cation, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in button sewing machines and particularly that class of machines adapted to act upon integral shank buttons, and it has for its obj ect to provide button-holding means adapted to accommodate difierent sizes and varieties of such types of buttons, and means for relatively moving the button-holding and the work-supporting elements of the machine to permit easy insertion and withdrawal of the work.

The improvements are adapted for embodiment in a button-sewing machine of the Singer type, as disclosed in United States patent to Sullivan, No. 777,564, of December 13, 1904, in which the jogging workclamp comprises a lower plate formed with a needle aperture and an upper plate supported upon the lower plate and springpressed toward the latter.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the upper work-clamp plate is formed with a channel-way to receive and guide an adjustable carrier for two button-holding arms which at their ends are provided with seats to engage the head of a self shank button, the upper button-holding arm being pivotally mounted upon the carrier and spring-pressed to yieldingly engage the button-head, the said arm also being provided with a lifting lever by means of which it may be elevated to release the button. Fulcrumed upon the lower work-clamp plate is a rock-arm which carries the usual worksupporting block, and the said rock-arm is ,connected by means of a bellcrank-lever and link with a lifting. lever for the work-clamp,

so that the work supporting block is swung laterally when the work-clamp is raised, to provide ample space between the buttonholding arms and the block for easy withdrawalor insertion of the work.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective 'view of a sewing machine embodying the improvements, and Fig. 2 is 'a sectional elevation of the button-holding arms and their immediate supporting members. Fig. 3 is a cross-section online 33, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section on line 44, 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the Work-supporting block and its supporting rock-arm.

The improvements are shown embodied in a sewing machine formed with the base A, standard B and overhanging arm C terminating in the head D, the usual vertical reciprocatory needle-bar 1 being mounted in the head D and carrying the needle 2. The head D also supports the. clamp lifting-bar 3 carrying at its lower end the horizontally disposedopin 4 which is embraced by a member of the work-clamp, as hereinafter described. At its lower end, the bar 3 carries a guide-foot 5 apertured to receive and guide the needle.

Resting upon the throat-plate 6 is a flat work-supporting plate 7 forming the'lower member of the work-holder, and apertured,

as usual, to permit passage of the needle. The plate 7 is secured by means of the screwstud 8 upon the forward end of the slidebar 9 which carries at its rearward end the block 10 recessed to receive the rearward end of the upper work-clamp arm 11, the latter having an ofi'set opposite-end portion 12 terminating in the supporting plate 12 for the button-holder.

The button holder comprises a sliding carrier 13 formed with the reduced baseportion 13" fitted to slide within a channelway formed in the late 12 Near its rear end the carrier is ormed with a socket to receive the depending lug 14 of the upper button-holding arm 15, the said arm being formed in two sections connected by means of the screws 16. The depending lug 14 of arm 15 is apertured to receive a pm 17 which enters alined apertures formed in the depending portion of the carrier and serves to pivotally connect the arm thereto.

At its forward end the arm 15 is formed The carrier is provided with a verticallyextending lug 21 having a threaded aperture to receive an adjusting screw 22, the latter being held against endwise motion by means of the slotted stop member 23 formed integrally with the plate 12 and engaging the collars 22 fixed upon the screw. By manipulating the adjusting screw 22, the button-holder may be moved endwise to position the shank aperture of the button with respect to the needle.

The upper button-holding arm is pressed downwardly to hold the button under yielding pressure, by means of a spiral spring 24 surrounding a stud 25 secured to the carrier 13, the upper end of the spring being engaged by the lower face of a thumbnut 27 which may be manipulated to regulate .the spring-pressure. The limit of action of the spring 24 is regulated by a stop screw 28 carried by the upper buttonholding arm 15 and engaging the upper face of the carrier 13. For convenience in elevating the upper button-holding arm to release a button and for the easy insertion of the succeeding button, the arm is provided, adjacent to its pivotal connection with the carrier, with a lever-arm 29 secured in position by means of the screw 16 and which may be depressed to rock the arm upon its pivot-pin 17 against the pressure of the spring 24. I

A work supporting-block 30 is provided at the rear of the button engaging jaws 15 and 20. The said block is mounted on a stud 32 carried by a rock-arm 33 which is fulcrumed at 34 upon the slide-bar 9, a stud-screw 32 serving to hold the block against displacement. By substituting a suitable arm of a plurality of blocks 30 with which the machine is provided almost any sized shank bottom can be. accommodated. The right-hand end of rock-arm 33 is bent upwardly and formed with a fork to embrace a stud or pin 35 carried by the lower arm of a bellcrank-lever 36 fulcrumed at 37 upon a fixed bracket 38. The upper arm of bellcrank-lever 36 is apertured to receive a rod 39 connected at 40 with the workclamp lifting lever 41, the latter being formed at one end with an aperture 41 to receive a treadle-rod and at its opposite end with a fork 42 to embrace the clamp lifting bar 3 immediately below a collar 3 fixed thereon. Fitted upon the rod 39 immediately below the upper arm of the bellcrank-lever 36 is a bufi'er-spring 43, the lower end of which rests upon an adjustable collar 44, and a second adjustable collar 45 fitted upon the rod 39 above the bellcrank-.

lever arm serves to hold the latter in constant engagement with the buffer-spring.

The upper work-clamp arm 11 and the button-holding members supported thereon may be elevated above the work held between the lower face of the button-holding jaw 20 and the work-supporting plate 7. For this purpose the supporting plate 12" 0f the work-clamp arm has secured thereon a vertically disposed plate 46 formed with an opening to receive the horizontally disposed pin 4 carried at the lower end of the clamp lifting bar 3, so that the said bar when elevated by means of the lifting lever 41 will move the arm 11 upwardly against the pressure of spring 47. It will be seen also, that the lifting movement of lever 41 will, through elbow-lever 36 and rod 39, rock the bar 33 on its fulcrum to bodily move the work supporting-block 30 away from the button-holding jaws to permit easy insertion or Withdrawal of the work.

It is also to be noticed that the adjusting screw 22 affords means for moving or sliding the carrier 13 upon'th'e supportingplate 12 whereby the upper and lower jaws may be shifted horizontally in a direction at substantially right angles to the line of needle-actuation so that the aperture in the shank of the button may be properly located with'respect to the needle.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what we claim herein is 1. The work-holding means comprisinga work-supporting plate, a work-supporting block, a pair of spaced button-holding jaws overlying and spring-pressed toward the said plate, and means for simultaneously lifting the said jaws and retracting the work-supporting block.

2. The Work-holding means comprising a work-supporting plate, a pair of spaced button-holding jaws overlying said plate. a carrier for the said jaws, a supporting member for the said carrier and means for adl0. filsting the carrier upon its supporting mem 3. The work-holding means comprising a work-supporting plate, a pair of spaced button-holding jaws overlying the said plate, a work-supporting block mounted upon the said plate and means for moving the said block relatively to the button-holding jaws.

4. The work-holding means cu iprising a movable work-supporting plate, an arm connected for movement with the said worksupporting plate, a carrier adjustably mounted upon the said arm, two spaced and relatively movable arms mounted on the 1 0 said carrier and provided with button-holding jaws, a spring a-ing upon one of the said relatively movable arms, and a lifting lever for moving the said relatively movable arm in opposition to its spring.

5. The work-holding means comprising a work-supporting plate, an arm connected for movement with the work-supporting plate, a carrier slidingly mounted upon the sa1d arm, a second arm rigidly connected to 1 0 carrier relatively to its supporting arm.

6. The work-holding means comprising a movable work-supporting plate, an arm connected for movement with the work-supporting plate and formed with a channelway, a carrier formed with a reduced depending portion slidingl y fitted within said channel-way, an arm rlgidly connected to the depending portion of the carrier and provided with a button-holding jaw, a s econd arm pivotally mounted upon the carrier and provided with a button-holding jaw, and means for moving the carrier relatively to its supporting arm.

7. The work-holding means comprising a work-supporting plate, a work-supporting block pivotally mounted upon the said plate, a pair of spaced button-holding jaws overlying the work-supporting plate, a lifting lever for the said jaws, and a connection between the said lever and the work-supporting block whereby the latter may be moved upon its pivot as the jaws are lifted.

8. The work-holding means comprising a work-supporting plate, an arm connected for movement with the work-supporting plate, a carrier slidingly supported upon the said arm, a second arm rigidly connected to the carrier and provided with a buttonholding jaw, a third arm'pivotally mounted upon the carrier and provided with a button-holding jaw, a spring acting upon the third arm, and a stop device to determine the limit of action of the spring.

- 9. In a button sewing machine having stitch-forming mechanism including a needle, a work-holder including. a pair of vertically separated button-holding jaws,

means for adjusting said jaws relatively to accommodate 'difierent sized buttons, means for adjusting said jaws bodily at right angles to said relative adjustment whereby the aperture in shank buttons may be properly located with respect to the needle. I

10. In a machine for sewing on shank buttons having stitch-forming mechanism including a needle, a work-holder, including a pair of vertically spaced button-holding jaws, means for adjusting said jaws relatively in a "substantially vertical plane to accommodate difierent sized buttons, means for adjusting said jaws bodily in a substantially horizontal plane to locate the aperture of different sized buttons properly with respect to the needle.

11. In a machine for sewing on shank buttons having stitch-forming mechanism including a needle, a work-holder, including a work-supporting plate, a pair of s aced button-holding jaws overlying said p ate, the lower of said jaws being relatively fixed horizontally and the upper of said jaws being movable relatively thereto, means urging aid upper jaw toward said lower jaw and means for simultaneously moving said jaws toward or from the needle without changing the relative position of the aws.

12. In a machine for sewing on shank buttons having stitch-forming mechanism including a needle, a work-holder including a pair of vertically spaced button-holding jaws, a work-supporting block, and common means for shifting said button-holding jaws and supporting block to facilitate introduction of the work.

13. In a machine for sewing on shank' 

